2nd Intl. Conference on Future Education

Effective Learning in an Age of Increasing Speed, Complexity and Uncertainty

Rome, Italy | November 16-18, 2017

Organizers

Co-Organizers

Building on a break-through conference at University of the California at Berkeley in 2013, the World University Consortium, the World Academy of Art & Science and Roma Tre University are collaborating to conduct an international conference on Future Education to identify practical measures to meet the needs and aspirations of major stakeholders — youth, students, teachers, employers, workers, research institutions, governments and civil society.

The Challenge

Society is changing more rapidly than ever before, generating unprecedented opportunities and challenges in its wake. Anticipating and addressing the consequences of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, environmental pressures, rising levels of youth unemployment and inequality, globalization and virtualization of business models, the explosive growth of online communications and education, the globalization of education, increasing intercultural contacts and migration will place enormous pressure on educational institutions, students, teachers and researchers.

The Solution

Education is humanity’s most effective instrument for consciously steering social evolution to maximize the benefits and minimize the disruption and trauma associated with it. There is an urgent need for expanding the reach, accessibility, affordability and quality of education at all levels. But multiplying the existing model is not sufficient. Indeed it is likely to aggravate rather than alleviate many problems due to the time warp and gap between the education offered today and that which is so urgently needed. We need not only much more education but education that is qualitatively different — a new paradigm. Updating course content is not enough. We need an education that equips youth to adapt to future innovations and challenges that cannot be anticipated now.

Extend the scope of learning outcomes from information and mental skills to encompass development of social capabilities, personality, values and individuality.

The Format

This conference is designed to serve as an open, active platform for participants to share, collaborate and co-create new ideas, approaches, methodologies and best practices. The multi-stakeholder approach and structure of the conference will make it possible for participants to organize or participate in special sessions dedicated to in-depth exploration of specific topics ranging from subject content, pedagogy and learning technologies to social and economic impact on issues such as employment, skills development, business development, innovation, social power, citizenship, cultural diversity, personal development and individuality.

Effective Learning in an Age of Increasing Speed, Complexity and Uncertainty

Rome, Italy | November 16-18, 2017

Day 1 - 16.11.2017

Simultaneous English-Italian translation will be available for the entire day's program in the main conference hall of the Rectorate of Roma Tre University, Aula Magna del Rettorato, Via Ostiense, 159, Rome, Italy

Heitor Gurgulino de Souza, President, World Academy of Art & Science and World University Consortium (Brazil)

Kakha Shengelia, President, International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) (Georgia)

10:00- 10:45 Panel on critical issues for the future of higher education

The panel will examine the major challenges confronting education in a rapidly changing, interconnected and increasingly complex society that is emerging in the 21st century. It will identify essential issues that need to be addressed to attune education to better meet societal needs in the coming years.

Representatives of companies, labor unions and government will discuss the changes they think are needed to better attune the educational system to meet the needs of companies for trained workers, the employment needs of workers and job seekers, and the economic and social needs of society at large.

Laura Baldassarre, Councillor for School, Person and Sustainable Community, Rome City Council (Italy)

Noemi Ranieri, Organizational secretary of UIL Scuola, (Italy)

16:30-17:30 Parallel B - Students' Perspective of Need for a New Paradigm in Education

Hall 2 of Rectorate in English only

Students from different countries and levels of education will discuss the changes needed to attune the educational system to make it more fully relevant and e ective in preparing individuals and society to meet the challenges and opportunities during a period of rapid technological advancement, globalization, cultural integration and accelerating social evolution.

University leaders will examine how rapid changes in technology, new learning models and delivery systems, globalization of economy, demography and other factors impact on the need for changes in the structure and functioning of universities in future.

Chair:

Kakha Shengelia, President, International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) (Georgia)

Remus Pricopie, Former Romanian Minister of Education; Rector, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania; Fellow, WAAS, (Romania)

Panelist:

Adrian Curaj, Former Romanian Minister of National Education and Scientific Research; General Director, Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation; Fellow, WAAS (Romania)

17:30-18:00 Break

18:00 Short video presentation

18:05-19:00 Reconciling vision of the Future

(Main Hall of Rectorate with simultaneous translation)

Education today confronts challenges to enhance accessibility, quality, a ordability, relevance, employability at the local, national and global level. This panel will seek to reconcile the views of business, society, government, students and universities in order to evolve a shared vision of the changes needed in the educational system and the critical issues that need to be explored during the remaining two days of the conference and beyond.

CHAIR:

Remus Pricopie, Former Romanian Minister of Education; Rector, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania; Fellow, WAAS, (Romania)

Donato Kiniger-Passigli, Head of the Crisis Unit of the International Labor Organization, specialized agency of the United Nations; Fellow, WAAS (Switzerland)Title: Corporations, Unions and Government Perspectives

Day 2 - 17.11.2017

Simultaneous English-Italian translation will be available for the entire day’s program in the main conference hall on the first floor

9:00-10:45 PARALLEL SESSIONS – 1A TO 1F

1A - Mind, Thinking, Creativity -- Dubrovnik report

(Main conference hall)

Every solution to an intractable problem or fresh mental discovery— scienti c, social or personal—arises from a change in the way we think. This session will examine the conclusions of a recent three-day roundtable organized by WAAS and WUC on Mind, Thinking and Creativity and their implications for changes in the way we teach and learn.

Chair:

David Perkins, Professor of Teaching and Learning, Emeritus, Harvard Graduate School of Education (USA)

1C - Online & Hybrid Learning

Classroom 2 – English Only

Technology integrates itself more and more into every aspect of education, and the internet opens up new learning models. This session looks at ways to harness emerging technologies to enhance the reach, quality, affordability and effectiveness of education.

1D - Education, Economy and Society

Classroom 3 – English Only

Education is a critical element of economic and social development. Prevailing social science theories exert an immense impact on the way our economic, political and social systems function. This session will examine how the fragmentation of academic disciplines and the disconnect between academia and society impact on social outcomes and how the gaps can be filled.

Remus Pricopie, Former Minister of Education of Romania; Rector, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest; Fellow, WAAS (Romania)

1F - Value-based Education

Classroom 5 – English Only

Universal human values form the bedrock of human civilization and culture, yet in its quest for scienti c objectivity, modern academic education has been largely sanitized of this essential cultural wisdom. This session will examine the appropriate place of values in education and ways to restore the place of values that promote individual and collective human welfare and well-being.

10:45-11:15 Refreshment Break

11:15-13:00 Parallel Sessions: 2A to 2F

2A - Education for Entrepreneurship

Main Conference Hall -- simultaneous English-Italian translation

At a time when salaried employment opportunities are unable to keep up with the growth of the global labor force, an educational system that equips job seekers is no longer su cient. Entrepreneurship plays a critical role in innovation, new business development and job creation. This session will explore how education can impart the entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial spirit and skills which will enable youth to gainfully employ themselves while creating new jobs for others.

Chair:

Giorgio Berloffa, President, National Confederation of Handicrafts and Small and Medium Enterprises (CNA) (Italy)

2B - Active, Collaborative learning -- Teaching Methods

Classroom 1 – English Only

Learning is an active social process spurred by the awakening of curiosity and seeking for knowledge, rather than mere passive reception, memorization and understanding. This session will discuss methods to promote active, collaborative teaching and learning methods and ways to overcome the challenges of transforming the conventional delivery system at all levels of education.

Chair:

David Perkins, Professor of Teaching and Learning, Emeritus, Harvard Graduate School of Education (USA)

2C – Person-Centered Education

Classroom 2 – English Only

Education consists of educating the whole person, not merely imparting information and developing intellectual capacities. This session will discuss the need and means for shifting from subject-centered to person- centered education, and potential bene ts of such a transformation.

Barry Gills, Professor, Department of Political and Economic Studies, University of Helsinki, Finland; Fellow, WAAS (Finland)

2F – Learning to Think Creatively

Classroom 5 – English Only

The human being is the source of unlimited creative potential, and contains within him/herself the solution to all pressing global challenges. This session will examine ways in which teachers and teaching methods can enhance the development and release of students’ creative potential.

3B – Innovation, Creativity and Technology

Classroom 1 – English Only

This session will study the complex nexus between technology, creativity and innovation, and examine ways in which their combined power can be developed through education and harnessed to promote human welfare and sustainable development.

Health and sustainable development, both for the individual and society, are critical for the survival and harmonious development of humanity today and in future. This session will study ways in which education can contribute towards the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

3E - Complexity, Unity & Uncertainty

Classroom 4 – English Only

This session will examine how educational pedagogy can and must accommodate and integrate the principles of complexity, unity and uncertainty, in theory, pedagogy and application in order to equip students to cope with and thrive in an increasingly complex, interconnected global society.

Piero Dominici, Professor, Public Communication and National Interest & Intelligence Operations, University of Perugia (Italy)

3F - Individuality & Transformational Leadership

Classroom 5 – English Only

True education allows every individual’s inner capacities to develop to their fullest extent. This session will examine the pedagogy and best practices in education to develop well-formed responsible individuals who can thrive harmoniously and lead society into a better future.

16:30-17:00 Break

17:00-18:30 Parallel Sessions: 4A to 4F

4A - Education for Full Employment

Main Conference Hall -- simultaneous English-Italian translation

Can a transformation of the educational system ll the skills shortage and promote full employment for all job seekers? Rapid social evolution is transforming the job market rapidly and in unpredictable ways. Many existing jobs will disappear in the near future. All others will be transformed radically. Many new types of jobs will be created which we cannot even identify at this point in time. This session will discuss ways in which education needs can address the challenges of the fast changing job market and equip all students with the capacity for gainful employment.

4B - Education, Science & Innovation

Classroom 1 – English Only

Education serves humanity by promoting scienti c innovation that promotes knowledge acquisition and dissemination that enhances human security, welfare and well-being. This session will discuss the changes needed to enhance the quality and relevance of education for scienti c discovery, application and innovation.

CHAIR:

Ivo Šlaus, Honorary President, World Academy of Art & Science; Dean, Dag Hammarskjold University College of International Relations and Diplomacy (Croatia)

RAPPORTEUR:

Jüri Engelbrecht, Former President, Estonian Academy of Sciences; Head of Department, Institute of Cybernetics at Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia; Member, WAAS Board of Trustees (Estonia)

4D - Transdisciplinary Education

Classroom 3 – English Only

This session will examine the need for education to transcend the boundaries and barriers of silo based traditional disciplines, and equip youth with the comprehensive perspective and integrated knowledge needed to anticipate and adapt to future innovations and complexities.

Piero Dominici, Professor, Public Communication and National Interest & Intelligence Operations, University of Perugia (Italy)

4E -Transition to a New Paradigm in Education

Classroom 4 – English Only

This session seeks to envision the unfolding future of the world and the changes in higher education needed to support evolution towards the best possible future. It will examine the changes needed in educational delivery, content, pedagogy and practice in order to implement quality, a ordable, active, person-centered, learning.

CHAIR:

Heitor Gurgulino de Souza, President, World Academy of Art & Science and World University Consortium (Brazil)

RAPPORTEUR:

Robert Berg, Chairman of the Board, Alliance for Peacebuilding; Advisor to the Board & Fellow, WAAS (USA)

Adrian Curaj, Former Romanian Minister of National Education and Scientific Research; General Director, Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation; Fellow, WAAS (Romania)

OVERVIEW

The World Academy of Art and Science is composed of 730 individual Fellows from diverse cultures, nationalities, and intellectual disciplines, chosen for eminence in art, the natural and social sciences, and the humanities. Established in 1960 by distinguished individuals concerned by the impact of the explosive growth of knowledge, its activities seek to address global issues related to the social consequences and policy implications of knowledge. The Academy serves as a forum for reflective scientists, artists, and scholars to discuss the vital problems of humankind independent of political boundaries or limits, whether spiritual or physical -- a forum where these problems can be discussed objectively, scientifically, globally, and free from vested interests or regional attachments, to arrive at solutions that affirm universal human rights and serve the interests of all humanity. WAAS is founded on faith in the power of original and creative ideas -- Real Ideas with effective power -- to change the world. Its motto is "Leadership in thought that leads to action."

The spirit of the Academy can be expressed in the words of Albert Einstein: "The creations of our mind shall be a blessing and not a curse to mankind." Its Fellows share the ambition (as the Founders said in their 1960 Manifesto) "to rediscover the language of mutual understanding," surmounting differences in tradition, language, and social structure which, unless fused by creative imagination and continuous effort, dissolve the latent human commonwealth in contention and conflict.

Scientific discovery and technological innovation keep developing instruments of unparalleled power for fulfillment or destruction. We humans, more and more, are taking into our own hands the future evolution of our bodies, our minds, the civilizations we create, and the very planet we inhabit. So it is imperative that we guide what we do by what we know, and guide what we know by what we value. The aim of the Academy's founders was to function as "an informal WORLD UNIVERSITY at the highest scientific and ethical level, in which deep human understanding and the fullest sense of responsibility will meet."

The World Academy is incorporated in the State of California and is recognized by the US Internal Revenue Service as a tax exempt private foundation under section 501(c)(3).

MISSION

The World Academy of Art and Science is an association of committed individuals drawn from diverse cultures, nationalities, occupations and intellectual pursuits spanning the arts, humanities and sciences, conscious of the profound social consequences and policy implications of knowledge, and united by a common aspiration to address the urgent challenges and emerging opportunities confronting humanity today. Our mission is to promote cross-disciplinary dialogue generative of original ideas and integrated perspectives that comprehend the root causes and effective remedies for our common problems, while furthering those currents of thought and social movement that affirm the value of human dignity and equitable development. The Academy dedicates itself to the pursuit of creative, catalytic ideas that can provide to present and future generations enlightened leadership in thought that leads to effective action.

HISTORY

The idea of founding an international association for exploring major concerns of humanity in a nongovernmental context grew out of many conversations that took place among leading scientists and intellectuals in the years following World War II. Prominent among this group were people such as Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer who had played a part in the development of the atomic bomb and were deeply concerned about how it and other scientific advances might be used – or misused.

This informal project took a major step forward in 1956, when a meeting – The First International Conference on Science and Human Welfare – was held in Washington, D. C. The organizers were two American scientists: Richard Montgomery Field of Princeton, who had worked for many years as chairman of an international committee on the social values of science; and John A. Fleming, former President of the International Council of Scientific Unions. At the end of the conference, participants agreed to take steps toward the formation of a World Academy, and elected an International Preparatory Committee for that purpose. Its members were: (from France) Pierre Chouard, George Laclavére and G. Le Lionnaise; (from the United Kingdom) Ritchie Calder, H. Munro Fox and Joseph Needham; and (from the United States) Robert Oppenheimer.

The Academy was formally founded (and its first officers elected) in 1960. They were: as President, Lord John Boyd Orr of Scotland; as Vice Presidents, Hermann Joseph Muller of the United States and Hugo Ostvald of Sweden; and, as Secretary General, Hugo Boyko of Israel.

Advisors to the Board

PARTNERS

HOW TO DONATE TO THE ACADEMY

The World Academy is incorporated in the State of California and Fellows elected from 86 different countries. WAAS is recognized by the US Internal Revenue Service as a tax exempt private foundation under section 501(c)(3).

CADMUS JOURNAL

Cadmus is a journal for fresh thinking and new perspectives that integrate knowledge from all fields of science, art and humanities to address real-life issues, inform policy and decision-making, and enhance our collective response to the challenges and opportunities facing the world today.

ERUDITIO E-JOURNAL

Eruditio is the electronic journal of the World Academy of Art & Science. The vision of the Journal complements and enhances the World Academy's focus on global perspectives in the generation of knowledge from all fields of legitimate inquiry.

The Journal also mirrors the World Academy's specific focus and mandate which is to consider the social consequences and policy implications of knowledge in the broadest sense. It is a multidisciplinary forum focused on the social consequences and policy implications of all forms of knowledge on a global basis.

PAPERS BY CATEGORY

BOOKS

The Security & Sustainability Guide

A 250-page “Interim Draft” PDF of The S&S Guide, a project of the World Academy of Art & Science, will be available for limited distribution free of charge to WAAS Fellows in June 2016. It reflects the critical fact that sustainability and security are both essential and can only be achieved in concert. The Guide is incomplete, but the compilers believe that, even in its current state, many WAAS Fellows will nd it useful for illuminating many of the most serious problems facing humanity under the broad, overlapping categories of “Security” (weapons proliferation, terrorism, cyber-attacks, economic and food insecurity, human rights, peacemaking, crime and corruption, inadequate infrastructure, etc.) and “Sustainability” (climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, energy, agriculture, population growth, cities, oceans, forests, vulnerability to disasters, green economics and nance, etc.)

A Post-Graduate Certificate Course in Human-Centered Economics will be conducted by the World Academy of Art & Science, the World University Consortium, The Mother's Service Society, Person-Centered Approach Institute, Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia from Feb 1-Feb 3,2017 at Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

The multidimensional challenges confronting humanity today are human-made and can be changed by a change in thought and action. Contemporary economic thought is built on a mind-frame that originated prior to the Industrial Revolution when scarcity of goods in a world of abundant resources was the primary concern, economic growth was considered synonymous with human welfare, and impact of humanity on the environment was completely ignored. Without challenging obvious flaws in existing theory, it will be not be possible to significantly alter current policies and practices.

The overall aim of the course is to (a) demonstrate why mainstream neo-classical economic theory is inappropriate for dealing with the global challenges of the c.21st, and (b) explore alternative approaches for achieving ecologically sustainable, human-centered development and welfare for all.

This course will present the findings of a five year research program of the World Academy of Art & Science and the on-going work of the New Economic Theory working group. It will harness the best available ideas and practices on human-centred, sustainable economy to create informative, authoritative and compelling educational and communication tools with the power to challenge and alter university level education in Economics, public policy, business decisions, media coverage and general public opinion regarding how the world economy should and can work for the betterment of all humanity.

A Post-Graduate Certificate Course in Social Power, Empowerment & Social Evolution will be conducted by the World Academy of Art & Science, the World University Consortium, The Mother's Service Society, Person-Centered Approach Institute, Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia from Oct 31-Nov 4, 2016 at Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Humanity lives in a time of unprecedented capacity for accomplishment in every field of social life. Never before have we possessed power of this magnitude for good or for evil. Never before has power been so widely distributed within society. Democracy, law, human rights, science, technology, education and many other forms of social organization have generated immense power. Society governs the possession and exercise of this power through formal structures and institutions, such as law and human rights, as well as through both legitimate and extra-legal informal mechanisms including status, wealth, popularity, political influence and corruption. The distribution of power in its various forms powerfully impacts on the functioning of the economy, political system, educational, scientific, religious and and other social institutions, and on the overall productivity, strength, integrity, harmony and welfare of society. This transdisciplinary course will explore the sources, expressions, determinants and consequences of the creation, distribution and exercise of social power in its various expressions in politics, economy, society and culture and its consequences for the evolution of society as a whole.

Mind is humanity’s highest developed instrument for seeking knowledge. It is an instrument with remarkable capabilities and characteristic limitations. It is ironic that we invest so little time in education and scientific endeavor trying to understand the nature of mental knowledge and the character of the mental processes by which we arrive at it. The objective of this course is to arrive at an understanding of the inherent limits to rationality and mental ways of knowing, as well as the extraordinary creative and intuitive processes by which mind transcends those limitations and tends toward genius.

Thinking is the activity by which mind associates, organizes, coordinates and integrates information, thoughts and ideas. Creative thinking is the process by which mind extends the boundaries of existing thought and knowledge to connect, reconcile and unify previously unconnected or contradictory perspectives. This course will explore the characteristics of mental knowledge and thought processes, types of thinking, the character of rational thought, the mental and social construction of knowledge, deep thinking, creativity and genius. Rather than focus on abstract philosophical concepts, it will apply this knowledge to understand both the sources of humanity’s prolific mental creativity, the characteristic problems it confronts due to irresolvable conflicts and contradictions between mental perspectives, and their resolution in different fields of natural and social science, public policy, collective and individual behavior.

A Post-Graduate Certificate Course in Future Education was conducted by the World Academy of Art & Science, the World University Consortium, The Mother's Service Society, Person-Centered Approach Institute, Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia from September 21-23, 2015 at Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Education is our best hope for a better future. Emergence of a new paradigm in education can radically abridge the time required for humanity to address critical issues related to economy, governance, ecology and life-style. Education is the best known instrument for ensuring universal human rights, promoting democracy, enhancing productivity and protecting the environment.There is urgent need to evolve a new paradigm in education appropriate to the needs of the 21st century. Closing the gap between social needs and educational capabilities is essential for addressing pressing challenges confronting humanity today. A review of education today makes evident that there is enormous scope for improving and developing the educational system. Whatever its current limitations in terms of inadequate coverage, quality and content, the means and potential exist for dramatically enhancing humanity’s individual and collective performance in virtually all spheres of our social existence by realistic, achievable improvements in education. We need a new paradigm in education capable of more fully and effectively developing the latent capacities of our youth.

A Post-Graduate Certificate Course in Essence of Effective Leadership was conducted by the World Academy of Art & Science, the World University Consortium, The Mother's Service Society, Person-Centered Approach Institute, Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia from March 31 to April 3, 2015 at Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

This course explored the characteristics common to leaders in business, politics, civil society, science, arts, professions and education and examined methods by which these characteristics can be consciously developed by individuals. The presentations consist of theory, practical strategies, and a wide range of examples drawn from biography, history, management, and literature from movies illustrating the principles under discussion. Apart from the presentations, our faculty interacted with participants to bring home the theoretical significance and practical relevance of the material.

The Individual is the catalyst of all social progress, the source of creativity, innovation, new ideas and new initiatives. The individual is the genetic source of human diversity. The entrepreneur, inventor, social reformer, revolutionary leader, original thinker and creative artist are a few of individuality's expressions. Yet how little we understand about the characteristics of true individuality, the ways in which it expresses, the means for developing it, and the means for realizing real individuality in one’s own life.

History demonstrates that individuals have the power to change the world. This course explored the relationship between personality and accomplishment. It examined the role of Individuality and Values in personal achievement, growth of personality and social progress drawing on evidence from Management Science, History, Psychology and Literature. It explored the relationship between creative individuals and society searching for insights into the principles and process that govern successful human initiatives and their consequences in various fields of life.

The course was intended for both students and practitioners in all fields interested in advancing theoretical understanding and practical approaches to promote the development of entrepreneurship, individuality, creativity, original thinking and other forms of social innovation. It explored the role of the individual in development of society, elucidated the characteristics of true individuals, the source of their amazing power for accomplishment and the process by which they act as catalysts of social innovation. While the presentation was academic, the objective was to impart original insights and practical knowledge for personal growth and individuation.

Today humanity is confronted by a plethora of serious challenges – political, economic, legal, social, cultural, psychological and ecological. These challenges are complex, interrelated, and global in reach. They are a reflection of the inadequacy of current institutions and policies and at a deeper level the inadequacy of current knowledge. They defy comprehension and resolution based on the prevailing principles of social science. The specialized knowledge developed by separate disciplines is inadequate to deal with the increasingly complex interdependencies of the real world. Knowledge needs to evolve to keep pace with the evolution of society.

The evolution of a complex, highly integrated global society necessitates the development of a more comprehensive and integrated science of society. The division into various specialized fields has been a useful mental strategy for the development of the social sciences, leading to significant advances in all fields – knowledge which needs to be preserved and enhanced by future developments. Yet it is increasingly evident that a more comprehensive and integrated approach is now required. As society evolves, its different functions develop greater complexity. At the same time they become more closely and complexly interlinked and interdependent on one another. Economy today is highly dependent on the political system and laws governing the distribution and enforcement of power in society, legal concepts regarding ownership of property and human rights, public institutions responsible for the creation and management of money, rules for commerce between nations, public policies influencing income and wealth distribution, processes that determine collective decision-making, public investment in education and training, and social expectations regarding economy and the future, etc. A recent announcement by the White House of an ‘intention’ to examine measures to discourage shifting of US firms to tax havens overseas resulted in a 10% fall in market value for several large firms.

Strategic Planning Committee Program Framework

Being a world academy composed of members drawn from the arts, social and physical sciences, humanities, business, public administration and civil society poses fundamental questions. How can WAAS distinguish itself from other national and regional academies? Is there really a common meeting point between art and science? Is there a unique contribution that WAAS can make to the world’s knowledge?

At the New Delhi General Assembly, Fellows explored facets of a new program framework developed by the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) which seeks to answer these questions in the affirmative. Rather than distinguish itself by specializing on a particular set of disciplines, issues or geographic area, the framework is an attempt to formulate a comprehensive approach and integrated perspective of knowledge inclusive of all disciplinary perspectives and applicable to social problems and opporunities in all fields.

The core of the framework is a human-centered conception of what constitutes reliable knowing, a question posed to the SPC by Ruben Nelson. In his presentation to the GA, Garry Jacobs explained how this conception applies to WAAS’s projects on new economic theory, individuality and limits to rationality. Pushpa Bhargava pointed out that a human centered perspective naturally incorporates ecology, since the survival and full development of humanity depends on its capacity to evolve in harmony with the environment.

New Paradigm Program

Scope: The world confronts multiple crises, each of which resists current efforts at resolution and appears intractable. The environmental crisis of climate change occupied the center stage in the mid-2000s. Fears of nuclear weapons proliferation, which had subsided into complacency in the years following the end of the Cold War, suddenly surfaced with renewed intensity when Korea tested nuclear weapons and long range missiles and news surfaced of Iran’s secret nuclear weapons program in 2007.

Then the subprime mortgage crisis exploded in late 2008, spreading havoc through financial markets across the world. It was followed quickly by a sudden and substantial slowing of economic growth in OECD countries, rising levels of unemployment and most recently a crisis of excessive government debt.

In spite of the enormous attention being given to each of these issues by specialists nationally and internationally, progress on all fronts appears to be nearly at a standstill or at least far too slow to meet pressing human concerns. The times we live in are a Wild West of globalization and the unbridled, unregulated expansion of international activities threatens to destabilize and undermine the remarkable progress of the previous five decades.

This project is predicated on the assumption that each of these problems defies solution because they all represent problems that transcend the sovereign powers of the nation-state. None of them can be fully and satisfactorily addressed by nation-states acting individually. All are symptoms of the evolution of world society to a stage where concerted and coordinated global action is required to meet the collective needs of humanity for peace, security, financial stability, economic welfare and sustainable development. This project has been conceived to address the underlying and interrelated issues that all these challenges pose to global governance.

World University Consortium

The mission of World University Consortium is to evolve and promote development of accessible, affordable, quality higher education worldwide based on a human-centered approach that shifts the emphasis from specialized expertise to contextualized knowledge within a trans-disciplinary conceptual framework reflecting the complexity and integration of the real world, from teaching mastery of a field of knowledge to learning that enhances the capacity of students to think and discover knowledge for themselves, from theoretical mastery to acquisition of knowledge, skills and values relevant to each individual’s personal development and career – an educational system better suited to develop the full potentials of social personality and individuality for productive engagement, social welfare and psychological well-being. The objectives are:

Identify global best practices and develop effective global models and strategies to improve accessibility, affordability, quality, innovation and relevance in higher education appropriate to the needs of the 21st century.

Develop innovative, open learning systems and more effective models that extend the reach of quality higher education to people of all age groups globally.

Explore new models of online and hybrid delivery systems designed to facilitate learning through teacher-student and student-student interaction.

Enhance the learning process through research, development and application of advanced instruments for measurement and evaluation of educational processes.

NEW ECONOMIC THEORY

A multidisciplinary group from the World Academy of Art & Science and the Club of Rome are leading a quest for a new human-centered theory of economics that reflects recent changes resulting from the emergence of a service-based economy, globalization, rising social aspirations and changing values, and is integrated with political, social, ecological, technological, and cultural factors from which it is inseparable.

PROGRAM ON GLOBAL EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGE

Access to employment is the most essential requirement for providing economic security to the world’s burgeoning population.

This interdisciplinary dialogue explores theoretical and practical aspects of the global employment challenge, including its demographic, economic, legal, political, psychological dimensions as well as linkages with the international financial crisis, social stability, and terrorism.

EVOLUTION OF INDIVIDUALITY

Individuality is the crown of human evolution and the catalyst for social progress, yet there are very different conceptions of what constitutes true individuality, the relationship between the individual and society, and whether humanity is inevitably evolving toward higher levels of individuality.

This project will explore the essential nature of individuality, the social and cultural factors that foster it, its role in social development, its myriad expressions in the original thinker, creative artist, political leader, entrepreneur, inventor and social innovator, and the means available to society to foster it.

GLOBAL RULE OF LAW

The evolution of international law and human rights represent crucial threads in the progressive development of global rule of law.

This project will explore the relationship between the social, political and legal dimensions of global rule of law in an effort to frame the boundaries of a wider approach to the evolution of global governance. Emphasis will be place to re-examining the concept of national sovereignty and the common rights of humanity in an increasingly globalized world.

NEW SCIENCES

In 2013 WAAS launched a project to explore important developments in recently emerging fields of science, with e-conferences on the Science of Networks and the Science of Complexity. The project involves an application of concepts and tools from the new sciences relevant to address the global challenges confronting humanity today and to the evolution of a transdisciplinary science of society.

PROGRAM ON ABOLITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

The devastating consequences of nuclear war and the potential destructive applications of science and technology were paramount concerns among Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, Robert Oppenheimer, Joseph Rotblat and others which led to the founding of the World Academy in 1960.

Nuclear disarmament is a sine qua non for effectively addressing other issues of global important – terrorism, financial stability, unemployment, poverty, climate change, democratization of the UN and other aspects of global governance. In recent years, the Academy has conducted numerous conferences, seminars and workshops and collaborating with other organizations in an effort to promote concrete steps toward immediate and total global nuclear disarmament.

TRANS-DISCIPLINARY DIALOGUE ON THE LIMITS TO RATIONALITY

Rationality is an essential instrument in humanity’s quest for knowledge, yet the practical pursuit of knowledge often ignores or violates fundamental principles of rational inquiry or overlooks the inherent limitations in the use of rationality as an instrument of knowledge.

This project will explore the philosophy and practice of rationality as it is applied in various fields of knowledge to identify common deviations and limitations and propose ways to compensate for the limits to rationality.

The Security & Sustainability Guide

A 250-page “Interim Draft” PDF of The S&S Guide, a project of the World Academy of Art & Science, will be available for limited distribution free of charge to WAAS Fellows in June 2016. It reflects the critical fact that sustainability and security are both essential and can only be achieved in concert. The Guide is incomplete, but the compilers believe that, even in its current state, many WAAS Fellows will nd it useful for illuminating many of the most serious problems facing humanity under the broad, overlapping categories of “Security” (weapons proliferation, terrorism, cyber-attacks, economic and food insecurity, human rights, peacemaking, crime and corruption, inadequate infrastructure, etc.) and “Sustainability” (climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, energy, agriculture, population growth, cities, oceans, forests, vulnerability to disasters, green economics and nance, etc.)